“How wonderful to be understood/ to just sit here while some kind person/ relieves you of the awful burden/ of having to explain yourself, of having/ to find other words to say what you meant…and you have only to sit here and be grateful/ for words so quiet so discerning they seem/ not words but […]
Someone left the bougainvillea on all night. Michael Dickman has the most wonderfully strange end of summer poem “Lakes Rivers Streams” with lines jumbled together like berserk frayed edges of a beach blanket. I think the day knows exactly what’s its doing… The good news is ferns… Meanwhile inside a belly button… Meanwhile real sunlight […]
Through the heat, we soldier on. My lovely neighbor with a British accent reminded me of this virtue, after her beloved soccer club lost that heartbreaker against Croatia, with these charming and sober coasters,: Happy summer time, y’all sweat enough yet? Might as well grill and have ice cream for dessert. Herbed Cheese Spread […]
We have soccer fever here at the Hammer household! For the Spain game today we served up paella and Agua Valencia. Much to my chagrin, the paella was a fine consolation to Espana’s loss to Russia. But, oh, what a paella. Saffron credit goes to my neighbors Lucy and Michael who brought it all the […]
Spring is here. “Men thatch the roof. The dogs bark. The rooks, rising in a net, fall in a net among the elm trees. The wave of life flings itself out indefatigably.” Virginia Woolf, in her essay on illness, somehow incensed me to live with vigor and vim… As I read her in Spring, she […]
Standing in three feet of water on Saturday had me pondering apocalypse. Here in New Orleans, inexplicably, several pumps were out of order and then a cloud parked over the city and brought us 8 inches of rain in two hours. Maybe Randy Newman was right, “they try’n to wash us away, Louisiana.” Yeah, this […]
Palm Oil is a touchy subject amongst foodies. The tale as old as time. A food gets fancy, demand increases, then profit-hungry soulless corporations tromp into the villages of third world countries and destroy the economy, social networks and ecosystem in one foul swoop. In the news over the last decade, you may have seen […]
Polyphenols. Xenohormesis. Sirtuins. These are not Star Wars trivia words, surprise, surprise. They are clues in the quest to understand why plants are good for us. The Sirtfood Diet by Aidan Goggins and Glen Matten offers a compelling argument for the science behind why eating plants can give you a healthier, longer life. I’m usually […]
What a fabulous birthday. Surprise after surprise after surprise! Bright flowers from KP. A dozen eggs (thank you magnificent seven!) Presents and cards and several evenings out this week with friends and loved ones. And the Italian Baker, by Melissa Forti. Literally the most beautiful baking book I’ve yet seen. Full of mouth-watering photography featuring […]
Just in time for Thanksgiving, red alert that November is also American Diabetes Month. When I help my patients to understand a diagnosis of diabetes, many are disappointed because they believe they will have to give up some of their favorite foods. The good news: how many more favorites you have yet to discover. Living […]